Saturday, February 18, 2012

When I watched Taken with my wife, I walked away believing those kinds of things did not happen very often. I thought it was just a movie. What I learned, and what my business students learned, is that human trafficking is the world's largest business for organized crime and only 1% of the girls who fall victim are saved.

In my last post, I explained that my BEMA syllabus was a clean sheet of paper for my students to craft a course full of their interests and ideas, with one exception. This project was the exception, and of course the students were excited to participate. Vicki Davis, a tremendous educator in Georgia, recommended human trafficking or human slavery as the focus for a collaborative project. I agreed, and was excited about the experience my students would have collaborating with students in Georgia to complete the project.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a meeting in Columbus about human trafficking. Sue Helmreich was kind enough to introduce me to various leaders, one being Sister Nancy. I shared a few ideas my students had come up with to raise money for the cause, and she directed me to Destiny Rescue. They are a perfect fit for what we are trying to accomplish. My students are currently writing the business plan for our social enterprise, which is to serve as a promotional arm for Destiny Rescue.

I set up a Skype with Peter Everett so he could explain to my students what Destiny Rescue does. My students and I were amazed. What their Rescue Program does is just like Taken. Some of the girls they have rescued from human trafficking were as young as six years old. So far they have rescued over a hundred girls, an amazing accomplishment if you can imagine the challenges of taking on the mafia and corrupt police in Southeast Asia. After they are rescued, they provide the girls with the counseling, care, and education they need to eventually care for themselves.

Within a few weeks we will announce how we are going to move forward with our Social Enterprise. What the students have in mind is brilliant, and is big.

About Me

My wife and I are raising our three children and dog in Kenwood, Ohio. I am a teacher and outreach director deeply passionate about financial education in our schools. I enjoy sharing financial literacy resources fellow educators can incorporate into their classrooms. I have become particularly interested in behavioral finance.